1. Field of the Invention
The invention is in the field of security devices.
2. Background Art
The flags that mark the holes of a golf course are mounted so they can freely rotate around the flag staff, referred to as a "pin". In this way they do not wrap around the pin as the wind blows, remaining visible and providing the golfer with a visible indication of the wind direction at the green. One method of rotatably mounting a golf flag, disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,072,573, mounts the flag on a rotatable section of the flag staff. In another rotatable flag support, disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 1,631,566 the flag is mounted on a sleeve that is loosely fitted to the flag staff. The patent disclosed several methods of maintaining the flag's position at the top of the staff.
This latter method has been adapted to form a widely used "tube mounted" method for rotatably mounting golf flags. These tube mounted flags are affixed to a tube that loosely fits the top of the pin. The tube is terminated at the top by an end cap with a hole that easily passes the threaded stud at the upper end of a standard golf course pin. The hole in the end cap does not clear the diameter of the pin so that the end cap rests on a shoulder where the threaded stud joins the top of the pin. Once the tube mounted flag has been slid over the top of the pin, an acorn nut (a nut with a closed top) is used to secure the flag to the pin. The stud is long enough so that when the acorn nut is fully tightened the end cap is loosely captured.
However, such acorn nuts are easily removed by hand or with a common tool, such as a wrench or plier, making the flags susceptible to unauthorized removal. Theft of golf course flags is a significant problem, particularly at resorts and other prestigious courses, where the flags might have expensively embroidered or silk screened decorations. For a tournament, the sponsoring golf club often has specially decorated commemorative flags made. These flags make attractive souvenirs and often disappear. While it is difficult to foil the efforts of a dedicated thief. A simple theft resistant device to thwart the casual souvenir hunter could significantly reduce the incidents of such disappearances.